Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Violet picks up three tenants
The three tech-oriented companies will join Blackmagic Design and Geek+ at the £17.8m innovation hub in Halton.
The Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications, Peak Technology, and Microgeneration Certification Scheme are all increasing their space at Sci-Tech Daresbury with the move, having previously been located in smaller offices on the campus.
ORCHA was at Vanguard House and is taking 4,500 sq ft at Violet. This will enable the digital health app assessor to grow its team by 100.
The move follows a busy year for the ORCHA team.
“We need the space due to a period of very rapid growth,” said Liz Ashall-Payne, founder and chief executive officer of the company. Ashall-Payne added that ORCHA had just received another round of investment capital to grow its staff further.
Peak Technology Solutions has also left Vanguard House in favour of having its headquarters at Violet. Doubling its footprint from 2,000 sq ft to 4,200 sq ft, Peak will move into its new offices in September. The automation specialist helps improve the performance as well as manage the environmental impact of manufacturing assets.
Peak’s executive director, Michael Thomas, said the company needed “a base that is fit for the future”.
He outlined the company’s plans for the Violet HQ: “It will house one of our automation technology teams and a new digital academy that will ensure that we can keep our people up to date on the latest industrial technologies.”
MacRoberts represented Peak on the lease deal.
MCS moved into its Violet office in July. Credit: via Influential
MCS certifies green energy technologies like heat pumps and battery storage. Its space at Violet is more than four times that of MCS’s office at Sci-Tech’s Innovation Centre. The new 4,416 sq ft office will house the company’s more than 30 employees.
Ian Rippin, chief executive of MCS, said: “Our investment in a purpose-built, high-specification workplace at Violet – in the heart of a buzzing technical campus – will continue to reflect our values of collaboration and help to foster even more talent within MCS well into the future.”
DTM Legal advised MCS on the deal.
John Downes, chief executive officer of Langtree and director of Sci-Tech Daresbury, praised ORCHA, Peak and MCS.
“These three companies are all leaders in their field, setting the standards for what UK innovation and technology can deliver,” he said. “It has been our privilege to help nurture their journey over recent years as they have expanded their operations and brought jobs, knowledge and growth to the Liverpool City Region.”
Downes continued: “Now, we’re incredibly proud that ORCHA, Peak Technology Solutions and MCS have chosen Violet to be their new home as they continue to break down barriers and use their capabilities to propel forward science and technology in this country. It has been a privilege to see these companies scale physically at Sci-Tech Daresbury. They are shining examples of how our “Home for Life” approach can benefit high-growth companies.”
Downes said that there would be continued investment in Sci-Tech Daresbury, noting that the company will be upgrading its digital connectivity infrastructure through LCR Connect.
Part of the investment includes a new 180,000 sq ft Grade A office and lab space project, known as Ultraviolet. Halton Council granted planning permission for the scheme last year.
